Prosecutors claim that publicly releasing the autopsy results in this case could result in tainting witnesses and impacting the potential jury pool.

Author:
Allison Sylte

Published:
3:29 PM MDT September 18, 2018

Updated:
11:43 AM MST November 19, 2018

KUSA — Prosecutors have asked the judge to seal the coroner’s autopsy reports in the case of the Frederick man accused of killing his pregnant wife and their two young daughters, according to a motion filed by the 19th Judicial District Attorney’s Office Monday.

Chris Watts, 33, is charged with five counts of first-degree murder in wake of the deaths of his wife Shanann Watts, 34, and their daughters Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3. He is also charged with tampering with a dead body and unlawful termination of a pregnancy.

The bodies of Bella and Celeste Watts were found in oil wells owned by Chris Watts’ former employee, Anadarko, and Shanann Watts was found nearby.The day before he was arrested, Chris Watts appeared on 9NEWS and begged for his wife and daughters’ safe return.

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In Monday’s motion, District Attorney Michael Rourke cited the “great deal of interest” surrounding the case as a reason for not releasing the autopsy reports, saying that the information contained in them “will be critical evidence at the trial.”